Max DeLeo
Nicholas Maxwell DeLeo is a former contestant on Endurance and Endurance 2. He competed alongside his partner, Jenna Jimenez, first as the Gray Team, and the following season as the Brown Team, winning in the latter season. Background Max was born in 1987 to Nick DeLeo and Dorian LoPinto. He has a younger brother named Jack Thomas DeLeo, and a younger half-brother named Griffin Meehan.Peter Brasch Family Home Page. 31 January 2008. Endurance At the age of fourteen, Max was cast in the first season of Endurance. Max was one of 14 contestants that survived the Right to Stay. In the partner selection, he went against Jonna's list because he believed it wasn't right. When he caught the Green ball, he managed to screw up the list, and was the last guy standing, thus become the Gray Team with Jenna, and getting 2 pieces. In Tilt, they purposefully threw the challenge, so they wouldn't be seen as a threat. In Knotted Up, Gray was sent to Temple because the others believed that they could defeat Green. Max was not angry at the Blue Team because he believed they sent the Gray Team to eliminate Green However, they were swept at Temple, and became the first team eliminated. After his elimination, Max sent a letter to Jonna, saying "Give it to the next team you want to betray". Portrayal Max was depicted as a strategist starting with his decision to purposely mess up The List. Quotes *"If everyone gets the partner what they want, then it can pose problems for other teams." * "Everyone is so worried about the Samadhi that everyone is making secret agreements with each other." *"They could try everything they want, but this game turns around so fast, that they may think they have it, but they don't know what's coming." *"We're going up to the Temple of Fate and I want Trevor to go!" Endurance 2 The following year, at fifteen, Max was voted by his former castmates to return to Endurance 2. Right out on the outset of the game, Max stated his and Jenna's strategy has to change if they want to win Endurance 2. While some of the teams liked having them back, the majority, especially Scooter on the Blue Team, wanted to see that the Brown Team would be eliminated as soon as possible. As a result, the alliances formed in Tower of Power separated the people who supported Max and Jenna vs. those who didn't. And because of the extra team, there was an extra Temple Mission that day. The Brown Team struggled a bit in the beginning, but managed to gain enough ground so that they challenged the Green Team for the lead a few times. However, it was not enough to give them the win, but because of their newly-formed alliance with Green and Yellow, they were spared from the Temple of Fate. The next day, after the Gray Team was eliminated, J.D. asked Max and Jenna if they expected the Gray Team to be the first team eliminated, which Max replied "Yeah." After Purple received Gray's pieces, he mentioned he expected the Gray Team would give Brown their piece. In the mission that followed, since Christa caught the first ball, the Blue Team eliminated Brown first. At the Cove, when asked about how everyone's reception to the Brown Team was, Max mentioned how they were rather isolated at first, partially because the other fourteen contestants knew each other well, but started to gain friends. In Rollerball, Brown was one of three teams to get a ball in their basket, and competed with the Green Team to get a second ball in, but again lost to the Green Team, helping Brown a bit. Afterward, when Green was deciding whom to send up to the Temple of Fate, Max thought it would be smarter to send two strong teams, instead of Orange and another team, because Orange wouldn't be much of a threat. He also noted how Keetin was taking control of the game more than Mike. After Red and Orange were sent, he mentioned how it's hurts to be sent off-guard, partially implying about how Gray was sent up on E1. In Tide Pull, Max felt a threat arising with the Blue Team, stating "as long as the Blue Team isn't the winner, then I am". As a result, in the mission that followed, he worked together with four other teams to eliminate the Blue Team, then worked with Purple to eliminated Orange and Green. Because of his strength, Brown Team ended up winning their first mission ever. However, in a strange twist of fate, Max decided to strategize with Scooter, so that if Brown doesn't give Blue the Samadhi, then Blue wouldn't threaten them anymore. He also wanted to make sure if any of his alliance members did target Blue, then they would be backstabbed. Despite this, Max turned against Scooter and gave Blue the Samadhi--a ten-second handicap for the next Temple Mission. Like everyone else in On the Ropes, Max recognizes Blue's threat, and if they didn't win that day's mission, they would be sent up to Temple. Max started off well in the challenge, but on the second to last hole, he got into a physical confrontation with Scooter, knowing the winner would send the other to Temple. Max ultimately won out, taking the lead and winning the mission, and then sending the Purple and Blue Teams to the Temple of Fate. In addition, Annie talked to Max about how immature Calley was, climaxing in a confrontation. Portrayal Max was shown again to be very strategic. He made dealings behind the backs of his fellow contestants very often, sometimes to the point where they want to target him. Quotes *"Basically the whole strategy has to change." *"You can't trust anyone because everyone's in it for themselves no matter what." *"It hurts more to be taken off guard that much, trust me." *"As long as the Blue Team isn't the winner, then I'm a winner." *"Green right now thinks that they are in control, just because they won that Temple Mission. But the truth is, they don't; Purple and Brown control this beach, and whoever comes back is going to control this beach even more." *"And if sent Blue up to Temple I would backstab them harder than they have ever been backstabbed." *"It's not an alliance, it's just a friendship." *"Samadhi, Schmadi, it doesn't mean anything to us." *"But if I come back I will win the next Endurance Mission, slam ''Purple with the Samadhi as hard as we can..." *"I'll make you wish you never ever played this game." *"I think Green thinks they're going to win with just one piece!" *"We're looking at it as the Clash of the Titans...whomever is coming back is going to win this game." *"I don't want to go up to Temple again; that would be three nights in a row." *"This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and for Jenna and I this was a twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Post Endurance Max has been working behind the camera. He's worked on TV shows like ''Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane, Giuliana & Bill, and Chuck, and movies like Thor, J. Edgar, The Hunger Games, and Magic Mike. Trivia *Along with his teammate Jenna, only contestants to compete in more than one season. * Along with fellow Endurance 2 competitor Jeff Phillips, he worked behind the scenes on Endurance: High Sierras. Gallery External Links * @mdvenkman on Twitter * Max DeLeo at the International Movie Database References Category:Males Category:Contestants Category:E1 contestants Category:E2 contestants Category:Gray Team Category:Brown Team Category:Final Four Category:Final Three Category:Finalists Category:Endurance Champions Category:Athletes Category:Musicians Category:Contestants from California